Engine rocker arm mechanism



June 9,- 1953 J. c. sLoNNEGER 2,641,235

ENGINE ROCHER ARM MECHANISM Filed March 22, 1948l 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 43 .\\\Q\\\\\\ 47 zlvlllrlfflggl'rfalegl 50 ilk@ l' i WW f 67 43 l A Y 4/ 59 v John 6'. J/onneger i 5 w INVENTOR. 7' 2 '/ff i4; 53 3y Q \\\g A J 52' 65 66 79 ATTORNEYS June 9, 1953 J. c. sLoNNl-:GER 2,641,235

ENGINE RocxER ARM MECHANISM Filed Marohzz, 1948 v 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented June 9, 1953 ENGINE ROCKER ARM MCHANISM John C. Slonneger, Dallas,r Tex'., assignor to The Continental Supply Company, Dallas, Tex., a corporation of Delaware "1 Griginal application March 14, ,-1946, SerialNo.A

' 654,427, now Patent No. 2,590,134, dated March 25, 1952. Divided and this application March 22, 1948, Serial No. 16,183

y This invention relates to new and useful improvements in engine rocker arm mechanisms.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved rocker arm mechanism for internal combustion engines which includes a stationary shaft having rocker arms journaled thereon and resiliently retained members at the ends of the shafts conning the arms on the shaft, whereby said arms may be readily removed and replaced and binding of the arms of the shaft is obviated.

v Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described wherein the rocker shaft is tubular so as to serve as an oil reservoir and has plugs in its ends connected by a coiled spring and provided with flanges for holding the arms on the shaft, whereby said plugs may readily be disconnected for removing and replacing the arms or for cleaning out the reservoir or its ports.

A further object of the invention is to provide the shaft and rocker arms with periodically registering ports and means for supplying oil to the reservoir under pressure, whereby fine streams of oil are intermittently ejected onto the valve stems. l

A construction designed to carry out the invention will be hereinafter described together with other features of the invention.

',The invention will be more readily understood from a reading of the following specification and by reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein examples of the invention are shown, and wherein:

f Fig. 1 is a, partial, horizontal, cross-sectional view of an internal combustion engine having a rocker arm mechanism constructed in accordance with this invention,

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the rocker arm mechanism,

- Fig. 3 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the same,

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal, vertical, sectional view of the portion of the engine shown in Fig. 1, and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of the mechanism.

This application is a division of my co-pending application ledv March 14, 1946, Serial No. 654,427, now matured into Patent Number 2,590,134, issued March 25, 1952.

In the drawings, the numeral I0 designates the crankcase of a single cylinder, horizontal type of internal engine which has mounted therein in a suitable manner a crankshaft (not shown) and a camshaft (not shown). The inner end of the crankcase is formed with a transverse 8 Claims. (Cl. 12S-90) web I3 and a cooling Yjacket I4 extends there-'- from. A cylinder I5 has its inner end packed in an opening I6 in the web and is provided at its outer or head-end with an external annular flange I1 seated in an internal, annular abutment I8 at the head-end of the jacket.

V The engine being of the valve-in-head type, a cylinder head I9 is secured to the abutment by long bolts 20. The head is generally hollow, the bolts extending through sleeves 2l. The head is cast with an intake duct 22 in its upper portion and with an exhaust duct 23 in its lower portion, said ducts being spaced from the outer walls of the head so as to provide a coolant circulatingv space thereround. The head space communicates with the jacket I4 through ports 24 registering with ports 25 in the abutment I8. The inner ends of the ducts are made integral with a valve block, indicated generally by the numeral 2B, and merged into elbows 2l and 28, respectively, directed toward the cylinder I5.

The ducts open into a head chamber 29 formed integral with the head block andk open to the cylinder. Annular valve seats 30 and 3I, respec tively, are formed around the inner ends of the ducts, the seat 30 receiving an inlet valve head 32 and the seat 3| receiving an exhaust-valve head 33. The valve head 32 has a stem 34, while the exhaust-valve head 33 has a stem 35. These stems are slidable in horizontal bushings 36 mounted in the block. Collars 3l are secured on the stems adjacent their outer ends and coil springs 38, surrounding the stems, are confined between the collars and the head block I9.

A rocker bracket 39 is mounted on the outer face of the head block by means of a stud bolt 40 and the bolt 20, as shown in Fig. 1. This bracket, near its outer end, is formed with a transverse bore 4I and is split radially, at 42, from said bore outwardly so that a tubular rocker shaft 43, may be clamped therein when the nut 44 is tightened on the bolt 40. The medial portion of the shaft is received by the bracket so that said shaft extends on each side thereof.

Rocker arms 45 have hubs 46 at their medial portions, said hubs being journaled onthe shaft 43 with their inner ends bearing against the sides of the bracket. The hubs are confined on the shaft by cap'plugs 4l having stepped bosses 48 engaging in the ends of the rocker shaft. Each boss has an eye 49 and the ends of a coiled spring 50 positioned in the shaft, are hooked into these eyes. The spring, being under tension, is Vsufficiently strong to hold the hubs on the shaft. 'Y

This plug arrangement of confining the rocker s of the rocker arm, the rocker arm oil passage and the shaft port being restricted so as to be intermittently in and out of register as the rocker arm oscillates on the shaft.

6. The combination with a rocker shaft having an internal oil passage and a port leading from the passage to the surface of the shaft, of a rocker arm journaled on the shaft, said rocker arm having a bore receiving the shaft and an oil passage leading from the bore to an external portion of the rocker arm, the rocker arm oil passage and the shaft port being of limited cross-sectional area at least at the engaging surfaces of the rocker shaft and the rocker arm bore whereby as the rocker arm oscillates upon the rocker shaft the rocker arm oil passage is intermittently moved into and out of communication with the shaft port.

7. The combination with a rocker shaft having an internal oil passage and :a port leading from the passage to the surface of the shaft, of a rocker arm having a bore receiving the shaft and overlying the shaft port, the rocker arm being vadapted to oscillate upon the rocker shaft through an arc of predetermined magnitude, said rocker arm having an oil passage leading from the bore to an external portion of the rocker arm, the port being so positioned upon the shaft and the rocker arm oil passage being so positioned with respect to the rocker arm bore as to place the port and the latter passage in communication during a portion only of the arc of oscillation of the rocker arm on the shaft.

8. The combination with a rocker shaft having an internal oil passage and a port leading from the passage to the surface of the shaft, of a rocker arm having a bore receiving the shaft and overlying the shaft port, the rocker arm being adapted to oscillate upon the rocker shaft through an arc of predetermined magnitude, said rocker arm having an oil passage leading from the bore to an external portion of the rocker arm, the latter passage having an inlet in the wall of the bore, said inlet being so positioned circumferentially of the bore as to overlie the shaft port during a portion only of the arc of oscillation of the rocker arm on the shaft.

JOHN C. SLONNEGER.

References Cited in the le 0f this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,617,986 Blank Feb. 15, 1927 1,624,497 McAllister Apr. 12, 1927 1,842,555 McLeod Jan. 26, 1932 1,930,368 Nelson Oct. 10, 1933 2,019,792 Nieman Nov. 5, 1935 2,104,729 Bijur Jan. 11, 1938 2,123,681 Willgoos July 12, 1938 2,298,981 Smith Oct. 13, 1942 2,469,564 Leake May 10, 1949 2,525,791 Good Oct. 17, 1950 

